ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - The Pueblo Chemical Depot, in conjunction with the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (ACWA) Program, has completed an environmental assessment to meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, and Title 32 Code of Federal Regulations Part 651. The environmental assessment concluded that no significant impacts would occur as a result of the construction and operation of the Army's Explosive Destruction System (EDS) and/or other explosive destruction technologies (EDT), at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado.

The Environmental Assessment, the draft "Finding of No Significant Impact," and other supporting documents may be found on the ACWA Web site at www.pmacwa.army.mil and at the following information repositories:

- Robert Hoag Rawlings Public Library, 100 East Abriendo Ave. in Pueblo

- Avondale Water and Sanitation District, 321 3rd St. in Avondale

- Boone Community Center, 421 East First St. in Boone.

The public comment period on the draft "Finding of No Significant Impact" is from Feb. 27 through April 27, 2010. Comments may be submitted via the ACWA Web site noted above, may be e-mailed to ACWAHQ.environmental@conus.army.mil, may be faxed to 410-436-1992 or mailed to U.S. Army Element ACWA, 5183 Blackhawk Rd., ATTN: AMSAW-RM, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5424. A decision will be made on this proposed action after a sixty-day public comment period. The required public comment period is thirty-days. The additional thirty days will offer the community more time to review the information, ask questions, and learn about this important effort.

A public meeting is scheduled for March 18, 2010 from 6-8 p.m. at the Olde Towne Carriage House, 102 S. Victoria, in Pueblo. The meeting will begin with an informal poster session, followed by formal presentations.

Alternatives being evaluated for possible use include the Army's EDS and/or commercially available EDTs used in other countries. These technologies were reviewed by the National Academy of Sciences for safe and efficient disposal of munitions. Use of these technologies would augment the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant's (PCAPP) neutralization/bio-treatment operations and would increase confidence to achieve the congressional mandate to complete destruction of the Pueblo chemical weapons stockpile by 2017. This would also maintain the continuity of U.S. chemical weapons destruction operations in a safe and environmentally sound manner.